Cheshire transplant patient meets with man inspired by his story

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HARTFORD--It isn't easy when your world is upended all of a sudden, and Colby Salerno knows that as well as anyone.

The 25-year-old Cheshire native was just 22 when he got a heart transplant at Hartford Hospital in 2012. At the time, he wrote an inspirational blog called Tales from the 10th Floor, which received national attention.

Now Andrew Jones, of Farmington, is going through a similar ordeal, and he was inspired by Colby's story.

This week, Jones got the opportunity to meet Salerno and talk to him about the steps leading up to the transplant he needs.

"It was really great to be able to relate to somebody who knows exactly what you're going through, rather than somebody giving your numbers and this is what your heart is doing," Jones said of Salerno's visit. "But he was really able to come level with me."

Salerno is now a medical student in Pennsylvania, where he is studying to become a cardiologist.

Now that he's healthy, he's happy to help others who are going through the transplant process.

"I could just relate so well with what he's going though," Salerno said. "It's so hard being locked in a hospital at the age he is, and he has the mindset that I admire though to try and stay optimistic, stay positive."

After his successful transplant, Salerno continued blogging for a short time on a blog called Tales of Triumph.